Newsletters
At the recommendation of network members, the Parliamentarians Network Secretariat has recently initiated the development of a Monthly Newsletter to help our members keep abreast of conflict prevention initiatives globally and within the Network. Our most recent issues of the newsletter include interviews and articles with leading parliamentarians and policy makers worldwide, among which Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Germany, Greece, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Russia, United Arab Emirates and others.
Please access our newsletter numbers to read more about conflict prevention initiatives worldwide.
In this edition of the Parliamentarians Network newsletter, we interview Donya Aziz, Pakistani Member of Parliament and member of the PN's Executive Council to discuss the passage of the landmark "Prevention of Anti-Women Practices" bill.
We also report back from several events: the International Conference on Afghanistan, 10th Congress on European Security and Defence, International Conference on Strengthening Global Peace and Security for Development: The Role of Regional International Organizations and Civil Society, and an open discussion with Prof. Edward Luck, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General for Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
The 14th edition of the PN newsletter covers several topics. Firstly, we are happy to share with you the latest of our work in Southwest Asia. The report from the first delegation of Afghan women parliamentarians to Pakistan, organized by the Network in June, is now available (to the left). Further, EWI’s Regional Security initiative convened the fourth Abu Dhabi Process dialogue in Islamabad in September. The resulting joint declaration has also been included below.
Secondly, we explore events in the MENA region. The report from PN member and European Parliament rapporteur for Libya, MEP Ana Gomes’s most recent visit to Libya is included, as is a meeting summary of an expert discussion on the “Arab Spring” co-hosted by Franziska Brantner MEP, PN member and co-spokesperson for foreign affairs for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament.
Finally, we report on several events including a PN-PNND event at UN Disarmament Week, the UN Security Council debate on preventive diplomacy, and lastly, the annual Worldwide Security Conference (WSC) which took place in Brussels earlier this month.
In this edition of the Parliamentarians Network newsletter, we explore the interplay between conflict and development. The 2011 World Development Report (WDR), Conflict, Security, and Development, breathed new life into this topic and so we spoke with Nigel Roberts, Special Representative and Director of the WDR 2011, about this groundbreaking report.
In the following interview, Virginia Bouvier, an expert on conflict prevention in Colombia, discusses how development programs can have the opposite of their intended effect and actually be drivers of instability.
For those of you who missed the World Peace Festival which took place in Berlin, Germany, August 20-27, we offer an overview of its main proposals in the left-hand column below.
In this month's edition of the Parliamentarians Network newsletter, we turn our attention to the EU's relationships with the U.S., Russia, and EU candidate countries.
In our first in a series of factsheets called “The Advocate”, we outline some practical steps the EU and U.S. can jointly take to better prevent the outbreak of violent conflict.
In an article by Dr. Barry Goodfield, President & CEO of The Goodfield Foundation, the "EU/U.S. midset gap" is discussed. Knut Fleckenstein, MEP and Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in the European Parliament, then suggests ways to improve the EU- Russia bilateral relationship. The question of Serbia's accession into the EU, and the implications of this on stability of the region, is examined in an interview with Serbian MP Dr. Nikola Lazic.
Finally, through a series of interviews with soldiers, the PN looks at conflict prevention from a different perspective.
The world constantly changes and so must we! This month's edition features our updated format with Features, PN Dialogue, and News sections. It offers the latest information on the activities of the Parliamentarians Network, such as the June 3-4 parliamentary delegation of Afghan women lawmakers to Islamabad and outcome documents from the December 6-7, 2010 Global Conference on Preventive Action.
This 10th edition of the Parliamentarians Network Newsletter comes during a pivotal time. The numerous popular protests and strong calls for strengthened democracies throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region carry on, in spite of efforts to quell the voice and will of the people.
In light of these developments, this edition of the Parliamentarians Network Newsletter highlights different perspectives of recent events: Gareth Evans, co-chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), discusses the principle of Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) in light of NATO action in Libya; PN Executive Council member Abdullah Abdullah explores Palestinian unity and its ramifications; and Franziska Brantner MEP shares with us her report of her mission in Cairo where she met with key stakeholders in the region.
Recent events from around the globe - from Libya to Japan - have further highlighted not only the importance, but the urgency for all aspects of conflict prevention to become a policy priority of states. We must all redouble our efforts towards the creation of nuclear-free world where basic human rights, like the freedom of political expression and association, are respected and encouraged.
In this ninth edition of the Parliamentarians Network newsletter, MPs from around the world share with us how they are working towards this goal. From the newly-established Sub-Committee on Civil Crisis Prevention in the German Bundestag and Sub-Committee on Conflict Prevention in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), to the preventive action efforts of parliamentarians in the referendum in South Sudan, parliamentarians are playing a unique role in supporting conflict prevention in their constituencies and beyond.
The eight edition of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention Newsletter elaborates upon the topic of: "Strenghtening the Role of Women MPs in Stabilizing and Transforming Afghanistan".
Ms. Shinkai Karokhail, MP from Afghanistan presents her insightful comments on the security situation for women in Afghanistan and the number of challenges they are facing. H.E. Manizha Bakhtari, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the Nordic countries shares with us her thoughts on the situation of women’s rights and their involvement in the negotiation process with the Taliban. Commenting on the question of cooperation of parliamentarians from the region, Dr. Donya Aziz, MP from Pakistan, stressed out the importance of a regional platform for female legislators. Mr. Nick Mabey, Chief Executive and a founder director of E3G, shares with us his ideas on how we can make preventive action a priority. MPs from UK and Sweden, Ms. Meg Munn and Ms. Margareta Cederfelt reflect on how much this kind of conference can make a difference for women parliamentarians worldwide.
This month's edition features interviews with Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women and Ambassador Melanne Verveer, on the role women lawmakers can and should play in stabilizing Afghanistan. On the margins of the international conference on “Strengthening the Role of Women MPs in Stabilizing and Transforming Afghanistan”, organised by the EastWest Institute and the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention on December 7 at the European Parliament, we have undertaken interviews with Ms. Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder and Chairperson of the Arab International Women’s Forum, and Dr. Donya Aziz MP, Pakistan, who advocate for more inclusive policy for women politicians in Afghanistan.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our editorials and articles, and we look forward to continue working with you in the coming future. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions on the content of the Newsletter.
Celebrating EastWest Institute’s 30th Anniversary, the sixth issue of the Parliamentarians Network Newsletter reflects upon and addresses the groundbreaking, but often below-the-radar impact and diplomatic work that has been achieved by EWI and its broad network of officials, experts, parliamentarians and people from business and media sector, in conflict prevention during the Cold War and following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Featured in this month’s newsletter are editorials by Ms. Niki Tzavela, Member of the European Parliament from Greece, who stresses the necessity of increasing the visibility of women as actors in politics and how to best support them for their active participation in political issues. General Laszlo Makk, Head of NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow, analyses the Euro-Atlantic Security architecture and the impact that Parliamentarians worldwide can have in preventing conflicts turning violent and Rt. Hon Jeffrey Mark Donaldson MP from Northern Ireland, addresses peace building in Northern Ireland and talks about the new National Security Strategy of the UK and what it will bring in terms of conflict prevention. And last but not least, Nick Mabey, Chief Executive and a founder director of E3G, shares with us his thoughts on how we can make preventive action a priority.
In this edition, members of the Network and leading policy makers worldwide discuss about the challenges to peace and security in the different regions of the world. Luisa Morgantini, former MEP, speaks about the role women MPs can play in the prevention of violent conflict, MP Safia Sadiqqi from Afghanistan outlines the challenges ahead for the members of the newly elected Afghan Parliament, and Ms. Luzviminda Ilagan MP from Philippines discusses the prospects of peace and security in her country.
In this edition of the newsletter we also offer you an exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Stares Director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations who talks about the need for a global instrument which will lead to improvement of both the capacity and impetus for preventive action among states and international organizations.
In this issue we would like to familiarise all our members, especially those who have just joined us, with the full scope of the Network’s endeavors. We also outline an action plan for the next half of the year. None of these initiatives would be possible without contributions from our members so we would like to thank you and we welcome your further comments and proposals.
We also continue our series of interviews with the Network’s members about the issues which are high on the agenda in their countries and regions. In this edition MP Mr. Zitto Kabwe (Tanzania) explains us the nature of the disputes around the Nile Basin and network member Saber Chowdhury MP from Bangladesh outlines the security challenges that climate change poses to his country. Following the international conference in Kabul on July 20th, MP Shukria Barakzai reflects on how much this conference can make a difference for women in Afghanistan and Her Excellency Najla Al-Awadhi from the United Arab Emirates recounts her experience as a young female parliamentarian in the Muslim country
The third edition of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention Newsletter elaborates upon the topics which have been high on the agenda of parliamentarians involved in conflict prevention worldwide. Senator Jacques Djoli Eseng' Ekeli presents his insightful comments on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the UN started to withdraw its troops from the country.
Following popular debates on the future of the new European External Action Service, the Network presents challenges and opportunities that the EU's new external service faces. Ahead of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit, Rt. Hon. Jack McConnell, the UK Prime Minister's Special Representative for Peacebuilding outlines a new and more comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and peacekeeping to mitigate conflicts worldwide. MP Joachim Spatz, the Chair of the Subcommittee for Conflict Prevention in the German Bundestag reflects on the importance of the parliamentary control over the foreign policy issues.
The second edition of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention ("Parliamentarians Network" or "PN") newsletter features a range of insightful articles and interviews by our MPs on topics including the difficulties faced by women MPs in Afghanistan, the recent election process in Sudan, the escalation of tensions between North and South Korea and the recently drafted European Strategy for the Caucasus.
In our feature article, Ambassador Ischinger offers a frank discussion on his opinion on the future of NATO and Russia, and their interactions in a time of globalized security threats.
As members of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention, I am pleased to welcome you to our first monthly Network newsletter.
Since our Network was launched as an initiative of the EastWest Institute (EWI) at the European Parliament in Brussels on October 8, 2008, it has achieved a membership of more than 100 parliamentarians from over 40 countries. The Network focuses on mobilizing efforts to prevent violent conflicts through diplomatic initiatives and effective collective action.
This month we highlight MPs Syed Jafar Shah and Daoud Sultanzoy and Mr. Alyn Ware who will provide our readers with a deeper insight into the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan and efforts towards nuclear disarmament.
